Shakespeare's a Racist?!?!?!

Well, not really. Shakespeare was only writing for his time. You see the Tempest is a story of power, renege, and colonialism. Caliban, the native to the island, oppressive Prospero lands on, is depicted as a sort of monster. Which is nicely described by our friend Trinculo, "

What have we here? A man or a fish? Dead or alive? A fish. He smells like a fish, a very ancient and fish-like smell, a kind of not-of-the-newest poor-john. A strange fish! Were I in England now, as once I was, and had but this fish painted, not a holiday fool there but would give a piece of silver. There would this monster make a man. Any strange beast there makes a man. When they will not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar, they will lay out ten to see a dead Indian. Legged like a man and his fins like arms! Warm, o' my troth. I do now let loose my opinion, hold it no longer: this is no fish, but an islander that hath lately suffered by a thunderbolt."

 This, in today's scope of thinking, would be kinda racist. Can we blame him however? Most people in the 18th century stereotyped the "others of the world, like the middle east and beyond, as infidels and savages.  Shakespeare was making a show that was intended to be viewed by most Europeans.  so if a=b and b=c then a=c as well. its common math, i think? So yes, he did present a stereotype according to today's standards, but it was quite different then. 
Another way to justify this claim would be through his other play, The Merchant of Venice. In this play a Jew is portrayed as an evil character that is out to steal everyone's money, and has every other Jewish stereotype. The people that were viewing this show were, well you guessed it, Anti-Semitic.  If Shakespeare were to portray the Jew any other way, well he would have at least been chastised, but i fear it may have been much worse.
This "racism" of sorts was carried on through all of the colonialist times of the world. Take for example Rudyard Kipling's "White Man's Burden." This poem dramatized the role of society to go to these so -called savages of th Philippines, a parallel to Caliban, Christianize them, and make them "white." This ideal was shared by most white folks in America.
So you see Shakespeare wasn't a racist at, here was merely weak willed, conformer :) & that's what I'm throwing
This Post was orginally done on September 23, but i had trouble uploading it untill now, hopefully that's okay?